Getting to the Roots of Your Family - RootsWeb - Ancestry.com
Getting to the Roots of Your Family - RootsWeb - Ancestry.com
Getting to the Roots of Your Family - RootsWeb - Ancestry.com
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German Archives- Full <strong>of</strong> Hidden Treasures!<br />
Baerbel K. Johnson, AG ®<br />
E-Mail : johnsonbx@familysearch.org<br />
German archives hold many different record types that may include information about your ancestral<br />
family. For instance, <strong>to</strong>wn guild records may include a Gesellenbrief , or journeyman’s certificate , that<br />
allowed your ances<strong>to</strong>r <strong>to</strong> travel abroad and seek employment in his trade. Land records or marriage<br />
contracts can shed light on his economic situation. Most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se records are not available at <strong>the</strong> <strong>Family</strong><br />
His<strong>to</strong>ry Library.<br />
WHAT IS AN ARCHIVE?<br />
An archive is an institution that s<strong>to</strong>res material that<br />
• Was created by an organization or an individual during <strong>the</strong> normal course <strong>of</strong> business<br />
• Is no longer needed<br />
• Is <strong>of</strong> lasting value<br />
Types <strong>of</strong> archives<br />
Archives vary according <strong>to</strong> carrier organization and focus area, such as<br />
• State/federal archives<br />
• church archives<br />
• Communal archives<br />
• Nobility area, house-, and family archives<br />
• University archives<br />
• Archives by specific focus areas [i.e. military, economics, politics]<br />
• Media archives<br />
• o<strong>the</strong>rs<br />
German archives mostly function as independent units. They are responsible <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir respective carriers<br />
[i.e. <strong>the</strong> Bundesarchiv <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> federal government]. They differ in organization and in <strong>the</strong> rules <strong>the</strong>y have<br />
for <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> materials.<br />
ARCHIVE JURISDICTIONS<br />
Each archive is assigned a certain area, <strong>the</strong> Archivsprengel. Details are usually found on <strong>the</strong> archive<br />
website or in published descriptions. Records for one locality may be found in several archives,<br />
because <strong>the</strong> jurisdictions may have changed repeatedly. Local his<strong>to</strong>ry must be studied carefully.<br />
Example: Meisenheim am Glan<br />
Meyer’s Gazetteer <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> German Empire provides <strong>the</strong> following snapshot <strong>of</strong> 1871 jurisdictions:<br />
• Located in <strong>the</strong> Rhineland Province <strong>of</strong> Prussia, is a county seat, larger <strong>to</strong>wn<br />
• Has Lu<strong>the</strong>ran, Reformed, Catholic parishes and a synagogue<br />
• Has its own mayor’s <strong>of</strong>fice and civil registration<br />
• Court district is Koblenz<br />
• Military conscription district: Bad Kreuznach<br />
• Various o<strong>the</strong>r civil <strong>of</strong>fices
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